Stents have become popular medical devices for treatment of vascular conditions. One difficulty with such devices is increasing the biocompatibility of the stent. Previously, this problem has been addressed by incorporating pharmaceutical ingredients and stent shape.
One attempt to help increase biocompatibility includes the use of a radial groove to encourage ingrowth of smooth muscle cells. However, such attempts do not address problems caused by tissues closer to the stent surface, such as the endothelial lining of vessel walls.
In an intact artery, the intima consists mainly of endothelial cells oriented longitudinally to provide good mechanical support and proper biologic function. When the vessel is injured and partially or completely denuded during stent deployment, the new endothelial layer that forms upon healing has a disordered, patchwork appearance that may undesirably affect both the mechanical and biological response capabilities of the vessel.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a stent that would overcome the limitations and disadvantages inherent in the devices described above.